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by orphan_account



Category: In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Other, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Self-Indulgent, i just really fucking love lincoln rosario, like really really self-indulgent, more tags r gonna be added as this goes along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-02 17:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10223294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lincoln Rosario is walking through a familiar place in New York. Usnavi de la Vega is opening his bodega for the day. Nina Rosario, Vanessa Garcia, and Benny Washington are asleep on their couch, with the TV still on. Kevin Rosario is full of excitement while Camilla Rosario cooks a celebratory dinner for her daughter. Sonny de la Vega and Graffiti Pete watch the sunrise on a fire escape.It's an ordinary day in Washington Heights.





	1. The Bodega

Lincoln Rosario stood outside of a small, neighborhood bodega in Washington Heights. It looked almost the same as it did the last time he had seen it, almost five years ago. He’d run off, done dealing with his father and determined to make it on his own. 

But none of that mattered anymore. He was back, and that’s what he needed to focus on. What would he do? What would he  _ say _ ? What do you say after disappearing for five years, without a word to your best friend? Would they even remember him? What if everybody hated him? He shouldn’t have come back. It was a mistake. He could’ve turned around right then and there, and never looked back. But he didn’t. He took a deep breath, shoved down the anxious questions, and pushed open the door to the bodega.

***

Usnavi de la Vega stood behind the counter of his dinky little bodega in Washington Heights. It was early, the sun had barely come up. A pot of fresh coffee sat on the counter, waiting for the customers to start pouring in. Usually, he had about an hour before anybody started arriving. Once they did, though, it never stopped. People flew in and out of the bodega all day long, any chances for rest were few and far between. 

A bell tinkled as the door to the bodega swung open. Usnavi found that odd. The Rosarios were always Usnavi’s first customers, up early and moving quickly. They never arrived before six o'clock, though. Usnavi guessed that it was about five AM. 

The man who walked up to the register didn’t look too familiar to Usnavi. He definitely wasn’t a regular. There was something about him though, something that made Usnavi feel like he should know him. The man came over, running his hand through his messy black hair, and keeping his eyes towards the floor.

“Can I get a coffee, please?” The man asked quietly. The voice felt so familiar to Usnavi. He definitely knew this man, but he couldn’t quite place where he knew him from. Usnavi grabbed a cardboard cup off the stack and poured the coffee in it. 

“Any cream or sugar?” Usnavi asked. 

“Nah, black is fine,” he replied quickly. The man was obviously nervous. But why? Usnavi finished making the coffee, popping a lid on and turning to his register.

“That’ll be a dollar fifty,” Usnavi said. The man dug through his pockets and pulled out change. He held the hand with the money out and locked eyes with Usnavi. Usnavi finally got to see his whole face. 

The coffee fell from his hands as it dawned on him who was standing there in front of him.

“Lincoln???” The man grinned.

“Yeah man, it’s me.”


	2. Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln learns what he missed. Sonny gets to work on time. Usnavi has to clean.

Lincoln Rosario stood inside a bodega in Washington Heights, with coffee spilled on the linoleum floor and his best friend hugging him as if he were a dream that would fade away any minute. He put his arms around Usnavi as he felt the smaller man begin to shake.

“Hey, Usnavi it’s okay. What’re you cryin’ for? I’m home, it’s okay,” Lincoln said, trying to console his friend.

“Man, you disappeared for five years. Five years without a word from you. I didn’t know if you were okay, or if you were even alive.” Usnavi’s words were muffled, his face pressed tightly against Lincoln’s chest. “I didn’t think you were ever gonna come back.”

The realization sunk onto Lincoln’s chest like a punch in the gut. In five years the only person he had ever talked to was Nina. He never even thought about Usnavi. 

“I’m sorry,” Lincoln said. “I messed up. I should’ve called you. I’m sorry.” Usnavi’s grip around him tightened. 

“It’s okay. It's like you said. You’re back now and that’s all that matters.” Usnavi peeled himself off of Lincoln and seemed to only just notice the coffee all over the floor. “Ah, fuck.”

***

Usnavi de la Vega sat on the futon in a small apartment above the neighborhood bodega with his best friend, who he hadn’t seen or heard from in five years. They had been talking, and Usnavi had been catching him up on what he had missed in the barrio. Nina had gone to Stanford and had started dating Benny and Vanessa.(“No way! That ain’t fair, man”.) Kevin and Camila had sold the car service, and Cami started an online catering company. Sonny had come out and started his transition.(“Good for him!”). Benny started working at a bar after the car service was closed, Vanessa had moved downtown, the salon had moved to the Bronx. Abuela Claudia had passed away, after winning the lotto. (“Ah man, I’m really sorry.”)  

After Lincoln had been caught up, he began to tell Usnavi what he had done while he was away. Before he could begin, Usnavi heard somebody yelling from downstairs, in the store. 

“Hey, cuz, where you at?” It was Sonny. 

“Be right there Sonny!” Usnavi called back. He turned to Lincoln. “Think you can wait here for a little? Just until the morning rush is over, y’know?” Lincoln nodded.

“Go run your business dude, I’ll be fine,” he said. And with that, Usnavi turned tail and ran downstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this so far tbh, I hope y'all are enjoying it too! Next chapter will actually show more of other characters!(I think)


	3. Photographs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln is reminded.

Lincoln Rosario stood alone in Usnavi’s apartment. He stood up from the crappy futon. He thought that with all that money Usnavi had from the lotto, he would buy himself some better furniture. He looked around the room, noticing the bookshelf. There were only a few books scattered on the shelves, they were mostly occupied by knick-knacks and pictures. He walked over to get a better look at the photos. 

The first one he saw was in an old wooden frame. It was a black and white polaroid picture of Usnavi’s parents. They were standing together and smiling. He sighed and looked at the next picture. This one was in a newer, silver frame. It was a picture of Nina at her high school graduation, with stickers decorating the glass of the frame. The stickers were of balloons that said things like “congrats!” and “we’re proud of you!”. Lincoln smiled and picked the picture up off the shelf. He examined it closely. That was his sister now. She looked so grown up in the picture, and so beautiful. She had been fifteen when he left. He didn’t even know her anymore. He put the picture back on the shelf. 

The next thing on the shelf was a book titled “Dancing for Dummies”. It had a bow on top and on the front, written in sharpie, it said: “You’ll need this -SONNy ;D”. He laughed. It looked brand new as if no one had ever read it. On top of it rested a crudely-made clay elephant.

On the next shelf down was a photo of Abuela Claudia as a little girl in Havana. She is holding a ragdoll, unsmiling, black and white. Next to it is a glass coke bottle, a lottery ticket, and a poem titled “My Abuela’s Front Door” by Usnavi de la Vega. Lincoln smiled, remembering Abuela.

On the third shelf, there were three books and two photographs. Neither of the photos was in a frame. The first photo was a polaroid of Lincoln, Benny, and Usnavi at their graduation. Their arms were around each other, and all three had ear-to-ear grins on their faces. The second photo was of Lincoln's family. Nina and Camila and Kevin and Lincoln, eating ice cream outside the car service. Lincoln’s smile falls off his face as he looks at that photo. Nina was nine, and he was barely fourteen. His hair was still long, pulled back into a messy ponytail. In that picture, his whole family was smiling. What the hell had happened to that? Why did everything have to go so wrong? Why did Lincoln have to leave?

He choked back tears as he placed the picture back on the shelf. He looked at the three books. They didn’t even seem to be books, just plain spiral notebooks. One red, one purple, and one green. Lincoln pulled the green one off the shelf. It was labeled as “Usnavi’s journal. 1994” in crude, childish handwriting. He didn’t open it and instead put it back on the shelf. The purple one was labeled “Nina’s Letters”. He opened it. It had letters written in curly, pseudo-cursive handwriting, with a heart dotting every i. The letters were all addressed to The Barrio. Dated from 2007 to 2009. They were all letters Nina had written, updating the barrio on what life at Stanford was like. He smiled, imagining Usnavi reading the letters on the stoop and then carefully taping each one into the notebook. He noticed that from March to late June of 2008, no letters arrived. He put the notebook back on the shelf.

He took the final notebook off the shelf. This one was red, with no label on the outside. On the inside, the first page read:

“Property of Lincoln Rosario. If found, return to Rosario’s Car Service in Washington Heights. DO NOT READ!”

Lincoln knew what this was. He knew every word that was on those pages without even looking. It was his songbook. Those were his songs. He had given the notebook to Benny before he left. Benny, for whatever reason, had decided to give it to Usnavi. Had he even read it? Had he felt the same? Did he think the songs were stupid? Why hadn’t he kept it??? 

Lincoln took a deep breath and returned the notebook to its place on the shelf. That was his past. It was behind him now. He didn’t have any feelings for Benny left, that was for sure. He stood up and headed downstairs to the bodega to see if Usnavi needed any help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aahh so it kinda showed the other guys a little bit? Idk
> 
> (also yes Sonnys name is sposed to be written that way, I think he has shitty handwriting like me and puts random capitals and lowercases in places where they shouldnt be. And I think Ninas is kinda wavy and like, semi cursive but not really. Some letters, like ie and two ls are connected, but not all of them.)
> 
> What do y'all think so far? Nina is gonna get a part in the next chapter for sure, btw.


End file.
